


Words of Learned Length and Thundering Sound

by Mara



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Gen, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara
Summary: Shelby attends a conference with Kendall, but it's not quite what she expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSecondBatgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSecondBatgirl/gifts).



> The show isn't clear on this, but I'm assuming that Shelby is an undergraduate student midway to degrees in biology and geology (now that she's dropped courses from the business school). Also Kendall has a PhD in my world and the last few episodes of the show don't exist. So there.
> 
> Lastly, some of the statements made by the paleontologists in this fic are either quoted or paraphrased from the following journal article: Tschopp et al. (2015), A specimen-level phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of Diplodocidae (Dinosauria, Sauropoda). PeerJ 3:e857; DOI 10.7717/peerj.857. This article is open access and can be read by anyone at the listed DOI.

Squirming in the uncomfortable hotel chair, Shelby wondered if panel discussions at professional conferences always went like this. It was her first time at SVP, so it was possible that the calm and professional academic discussions she'd been expecting were an illusion. Although given the looks on the faces of everyone at the front of the room who wasn't Dr. Thomas Oliver or Dr. Kendall Morgan, Shelby was guessing that no, panels didn't always go like this. 

Everyone had given their introductory statements in a calm manner, but the discussion of reclassifying Brontosaurus as a separate species from Apatasaurus had degenerated almost instantly into an impassioned debate between Kendall and Dr. Oliver.

Shelby tried not to stare at the man whose story she had avidly followed in the papers He'd been a big shot in excavation and then there was the explosion and his boss disappeared and reappeared. It was all terribly mysterious and it didn't hurt that he was attractive. Focusing on Kendall, Shelby tried to forget the news clippings hidden in the bottom of her closet at home. She was an adult now, not a teenager.

But part of her couldn't help the fangirl squee that she was _this close_ to the famous Tommy Oliver and might get to meet him afterward. Although, for some reason he seemed to dislike Kendall, who didn't appear all that fond of him in return. How did they even _know_ each other?

But it was indisputable that they had something against each other, because if looks could kill, the two of them would have died at least 10 minutes ago. Shaking her head, she focused back on their debate. (Panel discussion be damned, this was a full-fledged debate that looked it was heading into a duel.)

"How can you possibly argue with seven specific bone differences?" Kendall demanded, her hand twitching in a way Shelby recognized. The woman was hopping mad.

Leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms, her verbal opponent practically sneered at her. "Easily. For example, the angle of the neural spines is inconclusive, especially if you remove the specimens from Asia."

"Of course, if you start removing specimens, everything is going to be inconclusive! That's the entire point of the specimen-based approach." Kendall looked like she was going to leap to her feet.

"Using the specimen-based approach is just begging the question."

"Oh, and the species-based approach isn't? That's a strange assertion to make from someone with so many…unique specimens in his work." Kendall's nose wrinkled.

Oliver glared at Kendall. "Which is rich considering the _gaps_ in your work. Recently you've done no excavating at all, have you?"

"You're one to talk of gaps. How long were you gone after the accident?"

The moderator (whose name Shelby had honestly already forgotten) made a meagre attempt to regain control. "Perhaps we could move to Bakker's comments on the primitive features of the pectoral girdle and the cervical ribs?"

But he was overridden for the millionth time as Oliver leaned forward in his seat and almost growled at Kendall. "You're too sentimental about Brontosaurus."

Shelby winced, knowing what was coming.

"Sentimental?" Kendall's voice sounded like a gunshot and half the room jumped in alarm. "Sentimental? I'm sorry, is that code for 'female' or 'emotional'?" 

"Of course I meant neither." Snorting, he crossed his arms. "That's ridiculous."

Shelby considered the wisdom of hiding under her chair and whether she was obligated to try and save the people around her.

"Ridiculous? I'm both sentimental _and_ ridiculous. How fascinating." The ice in Kendall's voice was nearly palpable.

Oliver rolled his eyes and Shelby sighed, the last of her teenage crush dissipating in the face of the fact that the man was apparently either an asshole or clueless. Either one made him significantly less attractive. It seemed she was just doomed to be disillusioned about all her heroes.

The poor moderator (who looked like he needed a stiff drink) tried again: "Perhaps we could re-examine that comparison of the sacra of Brontosaurus parvus versus Diplodocus hallorum?"

"Of course," Kendall snapped, whipping out a laser pointer so fast that Shelby noticed she wasn't the only person who flinched. "Note the flat, instead of ornamented, sacral neural spine top, the spinodiapophyseal lamina that extends ventrally to the diapophysis, and the parallel in contrast to converging neural spines."

"Many holotype specimens are incomplete and fragmentary," Oliver countered. "The algorithm inflates these minor differences."

"Minor differences? It takes someone with a _black_ heart to hate Brontosaurus this much," Kendall said. "One might even say you're _green_ with envy that someone else did this research."

Shelby frowned. That was a very odd way to put it and not Kendall-sounding at all.

Oliver looked like he was sucking on a lemon. "Y'know, I'd never noticed before how your face gets purple when you're angry."

Purple? Shelby stared at Kendall, in her lavender pantsuit, then down at her own pink blouse. And then at Dr. Oliver, who was wearing black slacks, a green shirt, and a black jacket. Kendall couldn't be saying…no, that was impossible.

"I wasn't surprised at your latest exploits. Disappointed, perhaps," she said, tapping her fingers on the table. 

Shelby joined the rest of the room in staring blankly at the two people, wondering what in hell they were talking about.

"I'm not sure you have the necessary depth of experience to judge my performance. After all, when I started working with dinosaurs in Angel Grove, you were probably still a child."

"At least I grew up."

That finally broke the spell of disbelief that had been keeping the room silent and everyone started talking at once, including the battered and beaten moderator, who finally managed to get the nerve up to declare the session over.

Kendall strode down from the podium toward Shelby and everyone scattered in her path. "Let's go," she said.

"Um…" Shelby looked behind her at the man glaring at the two of them. There was something niggling at her brain.

"I won't speak at SVP for another 10 years, but it was worth it," Kendall muttered.

There was definitely something. Shelby looked at Kendall, then muttered back "Angel Grove?"

"Hmm?"

"Where have I heard of—" Shelby almost fell over as she skidded to a halt. "Oh. My. God. Are you telling me that he was a—"

Kendall glared at her and Shelby clapped a hand over her mouth. "Yes," Kendall said through gritted teeth. "Four times. And he's the most insufferable bastard to ever hold that position even once."

"Oh my god," Shelby said again, resisting the urge to turn again to look for him, especially because she knew everyone around them was looking at her. "How did you—"

"He showed up to offer his 'help' almost immediately. How he even knew what was going on in Amber Beach, I have no idea. But he was obviously angling for…well, _several_ things I had no interest in giving him."

Shelby scrubbed her face with both hands, feeling her face get warm. "Too much information," she moaned.

"You asked."

"Not for that!"

"Now you know. Fortunately, besides the more personal things, the positions you and your friends hold weren't up for grabs to any condescending greedy bastard who—"

"C'mon," Shelby said, grabbing Kendall's arm before she could work up another head of steam and get herself banned for 20 years instead. "Let's go home. And dig up some dinosaurs, okay?"

Kendall huffed out a breath. "Fine."

"It'll be fun."

Slowly, Kendall smiled at her. "Yeah, it will."

Shelby grinned back, then dragged her out of the hotel and out into the sunshine.

\--end--


End file.
